28 Film Discussion Threads Later

[DFA1979]

"I'll tell you what. The day I need a friend like you, I'll just have myself a little squat and shit one out." --Mrs. Carmody, The Mist

One of the great wtf moments I can remember in "recent" memory. At least, that's what I thought before the events of the last few years. Now it just seems like an accurate portrayal of the melodramatic, self-victimizing, insane evangelical white woman. Now, after seeing so many videos of these folks in action calling the police on Black people and screaming about Jesus, this proto-Karen hits different, as they say.

Oh absolutely. Especially since so many white women voted for Trump.

[baby doll]

I liked Funny Games but I wanted a movie that didn't feature any winking nods to the camera. When the flick is being relentless and brutal I was engaged. I feel that Scream did the meta thing better even if Funny Games has the superior ending.

Aren't the winking nods kind of the whole point, that the film isn't relentless and brutal for the sake of being relentless and brutal but that it produces a reaction and then forces the spectator to think about their reactions? In that sense, Haneke's film is doing something rather different than Craven's film, which is playfully revising some of the conventions of the slasher film in order to produce a response without fundamentally questioning the genre's aims and means.

[Grouchy]

I think he has other movies where he believes there's a lot more within his movie that what's actually there.

Ironically, I feel this way about Funny Games but not about most of his other films.

[DFA1979]

Aren't the winking nods kind of the whole point, that the film isn't relentless and brutal for the sake of being relentless and brutal but that it produces a reaction and then forces the spectator to think about their reactions? In that sense, Haneke's film is doing something rather different than Craven's film, which is playfully revising some of the conventions of the slasher film in order to produce a response without fundamentally questioning the genre's aims and means.

I know, it's just that I liked that Haneke made a nasty slasher film with bite that wasn't afraid to go against Hollywood conventions. I never got the hate it received.

[Spun Lepton]

So, before I move forward with this, I first have to make an excuse for why I attempted to watch this. 1. It was late and I was tired. 2. I really wanted some popcorn, and I feel obligated to watch a movie when I eat popcorn. 3. I didn't feel like dedicating myself to a movie that would require much attention or thought.

Caveman (1981) -- It's funny because Ringo Starr is trying to rape Barbara Bach in her sleep, and he's just SO BAD AT IT! Haw haw!! Aside from the boys-club aesthetic, it also feels pretty lazy and predictable. The moment Starr and Quaid crack each others' backs to stand upright, you can see every "discovery" gag coming. Discovered fire? Check. Discovered music? Okay, whatever, movie. Check. In its favor, I will give them a little credit for the cartoony stop-motion dinosaurs, only because I love me some Ray Harryhausen. Left unfinished. An extremely generous 3/10, if only for the stop-motion and the giant bug being squished on Dennis Quaid's face (the only gag to give me a legitimate laugh). Boy, I bet he tries really hard to forget he was in this.

[megladon8]

The Dark Tower is...one of the worst movies I've seen in recent memory. The Naked Cage, a DTV quality 80s women-in-prison titty flick is a more coherent vision. I can't remember the last time a villain hit with such a thud.

What were they thinking?

[DFA1979]

I saw Caveman when I was younger via TBS. I recall it being pretty awful.

[transmogrifier]

The Dark Tower is...one of the worst movies I've seen in recent memory. The Naked Cage, a DTV quality 80s women-in-prison titty flick is a more coherent vision. I can't remember the last time a villain hit with such a thud.

What were they thinking?

Established IP + cinematic universe potential = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

That would be the extent of it

[Skitch]

The Dark Tower is...one of the worst movies I've seen in recent memory. The Naked Cage, a DTV quality 80s women-in-prison titty flick is a more coherent vision. I can't remember the last time a villain hit with such a thud.

What were they thinking?

Goes to my theory that only a very select few can adapt King properly.

[Spun Lepton]

Goes to my theory that only a very select few can adapt King properly.

And that person was George Romero.

[megladon8]

Frank Darabont is the most successful King adaptor, in my books.

But The Dark Tower didn't even feel like an adaptation of King's work. It's like the writers looked over a couple of the cover art pieces and were like "cool. Got it. Let's write it tonight!"

It feels very YA in all the worst ways.

And good God McConaughey was awful. His performance, his look, his character, everything.

And all the people who worked for him, on an alien world, and apparently just showed up to filming wearing whatever they had on at the time.

What the hell was this?